Apparatus and method for driving display unit of a mobile communication terminal

Abstract

An apparatus and method for driving a display unit of a mobile communication terminal includes: a memory that stores image data by line units of a frame, each line unit including a predetermined number of row lines; at least one column driver that receives the stored image data and a vertical synchronization signal and outputs a signal voltage to column addresses based on the received image data and the received vertical synchronization signal; at least one row driver that receives a horizontal synchronization signal corresponding to the vertical synchronization signal and outputs a scan voltage to row addresses based on the received horizontal synchronization signal; and a display panel that displays the image data thereon based on the output signal voltage and the output scan voltage.

1 . An apparatus for driving a display unit of a mobile communication terminal, comprising: 
 a memory that stores image data by line units of a frame, each line unit including a predetermined number of row lines;    at least one column driver that receives the stored image data and a vertical synchronization signal and outputs a signal voltage to column addresses based on the received image data and the received vertical synchronization signal;    at least one row driver that receives a horizontal synchronization signal corresponding to the vertical synchronization signal and outputs a scan voltage to row addresses based on the received horizontal synchronization signal; and    a display panel that displays the image data thereon based on the output signal voltage and the output scan voltage.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the row driver comprises: 
 a first row driver that drives an upper portion of the display panel; and    a second row driver that drives a lower portion of the display panel.    
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the first row driver sequentially outputs the scan voltage to display the image data in an upward direction in the display panel; and    the second row driver sequentially outputs the scan voltage to display the image data in a downward direction in the display panel.    
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the upward and downward directions of display begin from the row addresses at or near a center of the display panel, respectively.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein, when the display panel has an N number of row lines, the upper portion of the display panel includes the row lines from the first row line to the N/2-th row line and the lower portion of the display panel includes the row lines from the (N/2+1)-th row line to the N-th row line.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first row driver and the second row driver operate in an alternating manner by alternately driving the upper and lower portions of the display panel.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the first row driver and the second row driver respectively drive the display panel in an alternating manner between the upper and lower portions of the display panel.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the first row driver and the second row driver drive at least one row line, respectively.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the second row driver and the first row driver respectively drive the display panel in an alternating manner between the lower and upper portions of the display panel.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the second row driver and the first row driver respectively drive the display panel in an alternating manner between the lower and upper portions of the display panel.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the second row driver and the first row driver drive at least one row line, respectively.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the line unit includes at least one row line.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel, an organic electro-luminescence display panel or a plasma display panel.  
   
   
       14 . A method for driving a display unit of a mobile communication terminal, comprising: 
 storing image data in a memory by line units of a frame, each line unit including a predetermined number of row lines;    receiving the stored image data and a vertical synchronization signal and outputting a signal voltage to column addresses based on the received image data and the received vertical synchronization signal;    receiving a horizontal synchronization signal corresponding to the vertical synchronization signal and outputting a scan voltage to row addresses based on the received horizontal synchronization signal; and    displaying the image data on a display panel based on the outputted signal voltage and the outputted scan voltage.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the outputting a scan voltage comprises: 
 first outputting to drive an upper portion of the display panel; and    second outputting to drive a lower portion of the display panel.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein: 
 the first outputting comprises sequentially outputting the scan voltage to display in an upward direction in the display panel; and    the second outputting comprises sequentially outputting a scan voltage to display in a downward direction in the display panel.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the upward and downward directions of display begin from the row addresses at or near a center of the display panel, respectively.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein, when the display panel has an N number of row lines, the upper portion of the display panel includes the row lines from the first row line to the N/2-th row line and the lower portion of the display panel includes the row lines from the (N/2+1)-th row line to the N-th row line.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first outputting and the second outputting are performed in an alternating matter by alternately performing the first outputting and the second outputting.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first outputting and the second outputting are performed in an alternating matter by alternately performing the first outputting and the second outputting.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first outputting and the second outputting drive at least one row line, respectively.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second outputting and the first outputting are performed in an alternating matter by alternately performing the second outputting and the first outputting.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the second outputting and the first outputting are performed in an alternating matter by alternately performing the second outputting and the first outputting.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the second outputting and the first outputting drive at least one row line, respectively.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the line unit includes at least one row line.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel, an organic electro-luminescence display panel or a plasma display panel.  
   
   
       27 . An apparatus for processing image data for a mobile communication terminal, comprising: 
 a memory that stores image data by line units of a frame, each line unit including a predetermined number of row lines;    at least one column driver that receives the stored image data from the memory, receives a vertical synchronization signal, and outputs signal voltages to column addresses based on the received image data and the received vertical synchronization signal;    at least one row driver that receives a horizontal synchronization signal corresponding to the vertical synchronization signal, and outputs scan voltages to row addresses based on the received horizontal synchronization signal; and    a processor that cooperates with the memory, the column driver, and the row driver, to display the image data based on the output signal voltages from the column driver and the scan voltages from the row driver.    
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the processor provides the vertical synchronization signal to the column driver and provides the horizontal synchronization signal to the row driver.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , further comprising: 
 an input device that receives image data to be displayed; and    a display screen having a matrix of pixel cells with row addresses and column addresses to display the image data.    
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the input device is a transceiver that receives still images and/or videos via a wired or wireless interface.  
   
   
       31 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the input device is an image capture device that captures still images and/or videos.  
   
   
       32 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the processor cooperates with the memory, the column driver, the row driver, the input device, and the display screen to write image data on at least two separate portions of the display screen.  
   
   
       33 . The apparatus of  claim 32 , wherein the two separate portions of the display screen are an upper portion and a lower portion, and the processor cooperating with the memory, the column driver, the row driver, the input device, and the display screen, starts writing image data by beginning scanning at the bottom-most row line of the upper portion, and at the top-most row line of the lower portion.  
   
   
       34 . The apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein the scanning is proceeded within the upper portion at least one row at a time towards the upper end of the display screen, and proceeded within the lower portion at least one row line at a time towards the lower end of the display screen.  
   
   
       35 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the scanning is performed in an alternating manner, by alternately scanning the row lines of the upper portion and of the lower portion, respectively.  
   
   
       36 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the scanning is performed in the upper and lower portions in a relatively simultaneously manner.  
   
   
       37 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the display screen is a liquid crystal display, an organic electro-luminescence display or a plasma display.